Legislation has been proposed to standardize training in police departments across the state including the 100+ departments in Allegheny County.

"The voice of the protesters has been very important," said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. "They've had a lot of impact in moving the discussion ... for changes that occur in policy."

Fitzgerald said that among the more than 100 police departments in the county some have robust policies while others "are probably lacking in things like training and operations."

He said there's a gap in the level of professionalism of the officers. "Some of them are part-time officers at very low pay; we're talking 10, 11, 12 dollars an hour," according to Fitzgerald, who said smaller municipalities don't have the same amount of money to invest in training "whether it's around diversity, whether it involves a [police] chase, pulling somebody over."

Fitzgerald acknowledged that the municipalities and their police departments are independent and don't have to answer to him, but said he has been talking to legislators about how laws about standardized police training and policies "can be brought to bear on municipalities."

Fitzgerald said he hopes that the tragedy for Antwon Rose and his family might result in some changes. "That would be positive, that these things (fatalities of unarmed civilians at the hands of police) won't occur in the future."

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There has been renewed interest in police-community relations since the fatal shooting of Antwon Rose last month. Nearly 20 Democratic state lawmakers gathered in Wilkinsburg Tuesday for a three-hour hearing on the topic. They discussed a range of issues such as police use of force, diversity education for officers and how to increase public oversight of law enforcement.

More than fifty people attended the East Pittsburgh council meeting tonight. They called on officials to institute police reforms and to fire Michael Rosfeld, the officer who shot and killed Antwon Rose last month.